One fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
by Raine3
Summary: dedicated to carrots, and to the fact that potatoes only taste good cut very thinly and covered thickly in artificial flavors.


EMAIL: ERfan4always@aol.com  
CATEGORY: A/C   
RATING: ahh... just PG  
SPOILERS: probably...not sure! :)  
ARCHIVE: Just tell me kk?   
DISCLAIMER: awww, come on, we all know this one by heart. i live in a fantasy  
world where i own ER and all it's characters. but that's fantasy, this is reality.  
don't own anything but this here pooter.  
A/N : dedicated to my fellow clergy members over at fanforum! luv you guys to  
death!   
  
------  
One Fish, Two Fish  
------  
  
Carter sat, cramped between a sobbing woman, who's son had just left on a  
plane, never to return again, and a rather large man, a rather sleepy large man  
who had elected Carter shoulder as a pillow. Carter had always hated airports,  
they were a place of departure, a place of farewell. Both of which didn't often  
bring happiness and joy, but rather loneliness and sadness. Two emotions that  
Carter knew all to well. Two emotions that were on the top of his list of things  
to avoid at all costs. It took someone genuinely special to make Carter face an  
emotion that was so high on his list. That was why he was here, sitting between  
these two peculiar individuals, waiting for Abby.  
  
------  
  
Carter was about ready to perform some extraordinary surgery to stop the  
snoring being emitted by the large man, when he caught a glimpse of Abby  
hauling her luggage around. He stood up quickly, holding the man's head as he  
indicated to the woman to find something to use as a pillow. When they had the  
man settled onto his new pillow, Carter sprinted off to find Abby.   
  
"Abby!" Carter called when he spotted her leaving the check-in counter.   
  
Abby turned, expecting to find that it had been a stranger calling to a different  
Abby. Her face light up with a smile when she beheld the sight of Carter  
tripping over a gentleman's luggage, which he hastily picked up and placed  
beside the man, apologizing all the while. He always seemed to be running into  
things, weather it was a nurse in the hospital or a man in the airport, Abby  
laughed to herself.  
  
"Carter, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to say goodbye..."  
  
"I told you at the hospital not to come here. I told you and Luka." Abby reminded  
him. She glanced around the sitting area to see if Luka had accompanied Carter.  
No sign of him, and why should she be surprised? He was never one to know  
when she actually meant the opposite of what she said.  
  
"He refused to come, saying that he wouldn't want to do something you  
specifically said not to..." Carter answered, noticing the questioning look in her  
eyes as she scanned the area.  
  
"Huh." That was all Abby could think to say. Why was it always Carter who  
knew when to do the opposite of what she said? He was just so much more  
perceptive than Luka. So much more caring, so much easier to talk to. Just so  
much more.  
  
------  
  
They had, my some mysterious means, ended up sitting back on the same row  
of chairs that Carter had so happily left behind. Abby's plane had been delayed  
because of a massive snow storm that had appeared out of nowhere.   
Abby thought it was bad luck, Carter thought it was fate. Fate because, Abby  
had fallen asleep across three chairs, with her head on Carter's lap. Fate  
because it was keeping Abby from going to her mother. Keeping her from going  
to help her mother out of yet another hole. Keeping her from going to Seattle.  
Keeping her here.  
  
"Flight 901 to Seattle is now boarding at gate C3. We would ask for passengers  
with small children, or those in need of assistance board first." Came over the  
loudspeaker. Abby didn't hear it. Carter did.  
  
He sat there, contemplating the consequences of either of his choices. He could   
let Abby sleep on, not waking her for her flight. He could, but would she then  
get so mad as to walk out of his life forever? He knew how much her mother  
meant to her, how important going to help her really was. On the other hand, he  
could wake her, and watch her walk out of his life for a week, maybe more. He  
voted for the later.  
  
"Abby" Carter nudged her gently.  
  
"Mmmf" Abby groaned in protest before she realized where she was. She sat  
up quickly, rubbing her eyes. She glanced down at her pillow then up at it's  
owner. She blushed a bit when she made eye contact with Carter.   
  
"Your plane is boarding." Carter stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh, uh thanks." Abby replied, still a little dazed from waking up in Carter's lap.  
It felt right, just too right.  
  
"You might want to stop at the washroom before you, uh..." Carter said,  
indicating her flattened hair. Abby's hand shot up to the left side of her head in  
a feeble attempt to return her hair to it's original state.  
  
"Uh, yea, I'll be sure to do that... would you watch my luggage? I'll be right  
back."   
  
"Sure, I'll be right here." Carter replied, settling in for a little while longer.  
  
'I'll be right here.' That made Abby sigh. He was always there. Always a  
constant in her life. Seemingly, at this point, the only constant in her life.   
  
------  
  
Abby had returned a few moments later, looking herself. Her naturally beautiful  
self, in Carter's eyes. She sat beside Carter, leaning slightly against him.  
  
"Have they called my row yet?"  
  
"No, they are still boarding the first four rows. What row are you anyways?"  
  
"Oh, I got stuck in the second last row, 20-something. They don't really have  
any good seats left for people like me." Abby sighed.  
  
"People like you?"  
  
"People who have to book their flights at the very last second in order to help  
their bi-polar mother yet again." Abby explained with a dry chuckle.  
  
"Ah, people like you."  
  
"Yeah. Hey, I thought I told you to go home. Yeah, I did, right before the snow  
storm. That was over four hours ago Carter! What are you doing here? Don't you  
have something better to do than sit in an airport with your distraught friend?"  
Abby said.  
  
"Nope." Carter replied, non-chalantly.  
  
"You sure?" Abby persisted  
  
"Nope." Carter repeated.  
  
"Oh, Carter, you are too good to me." Abby sighed as she leaned her head  
against his shoulder.  
  
"Someone has to be." He responded, not bothering to hide the obvious  
statement that shrouded the comment.  
Abby simply sighed, accepting the fact that Luka would never be perfect. He  
would never care enough, he would never know when to put her in her spot. He  
would never know when to just hold her, he would never know when to push  
her away and make her stand on her own to feet. He would never be Carter.  
  
"Carter?" Abby questioned, looking up at him.  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"I've been thinking about what you said that day by the water. I know it's been  
a couple weeks, but why are you sitting here with me? You did say that you  
didn't want to be my friend..."  
  
"I know, I know. I guess I just couldn't hold out any longer, I mean, there was  
that week when we hardly talked. I guess I just got tired of the  
looks the nurses and docs kept giving me. It was like they thought I had done  
something horrible to you." Carter tried to explain.  
  
"Oh, and that's the real reason eh?" Abby questioned, knowingly.  
  
"More or less..."  
  
"I'm glad you came back. I need you." Abby said.  
  
They left it at that.  
  
------  
  
Abby stood in front of Carter, looking down at their hands which had become  
interlaced when they had heard her row being called. She realized how much it  
meant to her that Carter had come, even if she had told him not to. She realized  
how much less it would have meant to her if Luka had come instead.   
  
"Well, I guess I'll see you in a week." Abby said.  
  
"Maybe more." Carter added solemnly.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
They stood there both realizing how much they would miss each other.  
  
"You'll miss me, so why don't you kiss me?" Abby questioned, surprised she  
had actually had the courage to say it. Disapointed it had come out rhyming.  
  
"Who are we? Dr. Suess?" Carter chuckled, happy he had an invitation to do  
what he had always wanted.  
  
"One fish two fish, red fish--"Abby started, but didn't get to finish as Carter  
pressed his lips firmly against hers. She raised her hand to run it through his  
hair as he moved his hand to cradle the small of her back and pull her closer. She  
deepened the kiss even further, not wanting it to end. They both savored how  
right this felt, how safe.  
After they finally parted, Carter pulled Abby into a strong embrace, not wanting  
to let her go.  
  
"Blue Fish" finished Abby.  
------  



End file.
